Running a community drama group at Norwich Arts Centre. Until then, I'd been training to work with people with autism. But I did a panto about Winnie the Pooh, some cabaret slots in the bar, some verbatim projects – and I discovered that I loved directing.

What was your big breakthrough?

I did a play called Two Horsemen by Biyi Bandele at the Gate theatre in London as part of a new-writing festival [in 1994]. We had a budget of £60, which we spent on a dead bird in a cage and a sandy floor with a hole in it. It won a load of awards.

If you could direct any play, which would it be?

The next new play that's going to change our theatrical legacy. Something like Sarah Kane's Blasted, which broke away from kitchen-sink drama, and ushered in a whole new generation of writers interested in how cruel the world is.

Is it more difficult for women to succeed in theatre than it is for men?

A Matisse collage, because his art is full of joy. A lot of my early work was full of blood and guts, but as you get older you realise that life is very short and very precious.

In short

Born: La Plata, Argentina, 1964.

Career: Has worked at the Traverse, the Royal Court, and as artistic director of Paines Plough. Now associate director at the RSC, for which she directs Little Eagles at Hampstead theatre, London NW3 (020-7722 9301), until 7 May.

Low point: "For a year after I left the Royal Court to go freelance, I practically killed myself working."